When its wind speed hits 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane. Inside the hurricane are warm, humid air circles inward around the eye, speeding up as it approaches the center.

The first named storm typically forms in mid to late June, while the first hurricane tends to form in early to mid-August.

Haus said his research focuses on two basic questions: How do hurricanes form, and how do they intensify? So his team examines conditions that might cause a hurricane to spin out, and works to ...